COE ambassadors

Student Ambassadors

The Student Ambassador Program is a leadership opportunity for students to serve and represent the Women’s Health, Gender and Empowerment (WHGE) COE among the student population and larger community. Specific roles of Student Ambassadors include identifying and raising awareness about events related to WHGE on campus and in the community, participating in monthly tele-meetings, working with COE Faculty Ambassadors on campus and supporting COE programs to address campus-based sexual assault and dating violence.

Faculty ambassadors serve as liaisons between the WGHE COE leadership and the faculty members on each UC campus.

Noorhan Amani

Human Biology major, Global Health minor
UC San Diego

Research assistant studying the possible relationship between the neuroendocrine system and reproductive disorders such as PCOS Events Committee member for Students for Global Health, a student organization at UCSD that educates the university community about global health-related issues, helping to organize quarterly seminars that connect students to global health academics, researchers, activists, and innovators

Involved with Girl Up, a United Nations Foundation campaign that advocates for the well-being of adolescent girls in developing nations

Leslie Avila

Feminist Studies major, Economics minor
UC Santa Cruz

Strives to be a useful resource that women can feel safe to go to and seek help either with Health, Gender, or/and Empowerment without any problem

Volunteered at UCSC Student Health Outreach & Promotion (Shop) as a Condom-Co-Op where they offered advice to college students on safe sex

Volunteers at the Walnut Avenue Family & Women's Center, offering services to women in Domestic Violence and youth in dating violence relationships in Santa Cruz

Connie Balbuena

Public Health major
UC Merced

Bright Success Mentor helping first-generation students achieve their academic and personal goals during their freshman year of college.

Interested in health education and behavioral sciences research to address the worldwide chronic illness epidemic.

Brittnie Bloom, MS

Global Public Health PhD student
Joint Doctoral Program: UC San Diego and San Diego State University

Sexual assault prevention and aftercare services and advocacy, specifically on college campuses and among vulnerable populations

Improving screening practices and removing barriers among health care providers who work with those who may be victims of violence

Improving access to higher education and improving retention and graduation rates among underrepresented undergraduate students in STEM fields

Sabrina Boyce, MPH

Doctoral student, Epidemiology
UC Berkeley, School of Public Health

Gender-based violence

Sexual and reproductive health

International and domestic marginalized populations

Beth Boylan

Doctoral student, Sociology
UC Davis

Beth's previous research examines gender and the emerging concern with building consent culture within social dance communities

Her dissertation will focus on activism and programming related to sexual assault and consent within college campus communities

In addition to pursing a PhD, Beth is an avid social dancer and willing to try any dance form (including swing, blues, bachata, kizomba, tango, country two-step, line, pole, and club dancing)

Elaine Chan

Medical student
UCLA

Elaine identifies as a San Franciscan native, a first generation student, and a women's college graduate. She is currently in her 3rd year of studying medicine at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.

Her past research interest focused on contributors to resilience in the aftermath of school shootings at NCTSN. Currently, she is using social media to analyze patient experiences at California's Crisis Pregnancy Centers.

Upon completing her doctorate of medicine, Elaine aspires to be an obstetrician-gynecologist. She has interests in both reproductive health and mental health.

Darice Espino

Public Health major, Psychology minor
UC Merced

UC Water Communications Specialist Assistant to the Director of Communications for UC Water Security and Sustainability Research Initiative headquartered at UC Merced

Public Health Society (PHS) active committee member for a Nutrition Project addressing food insecurity in the Merced's Planda Community

UCGHD Student Planning Member as the UC Merced Representative

Genesis Felix

Gender and Sexuality Studies
UC Riverside

My career goal is to become an educator.

I strive to contribute to activist work against domestic violence.

When I’m not studying gender theory, I paint and dance.

Esmeralda R. Garcia, MA

Doctoral student
UC Irvine

Esmeralda R. Garcia is a doctoral student in Psychology and Social Behavior at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) studying women’s health including perinatal health, health disparities, and methods of promoting well-being among survivors of domestic violence (DV)

She earned grants from the University of California Global Health Institute's Center of Expertise in Women's Health, Gender, and Empowerment as well as from the UCI Initiative to End Family Violence for her work with survivors of DV

Through her research, she hopes to inform services to reduce health disparities and help women as they move past their DV experience

Erica Goodwin

J.D. Candidate, 2019
UC Hastings College of the Law

Hopes to combine her background in policy and advocacy with her legal studies to advance Title IX issues on campus and promote reproductive justice in the campus community.

Former Congressional staffer and Manager at a D.C. lobbying firm.

Michelle Gregorio

Global Health major
UC San Diego

WHGE COE summer scholar 2017

Research Project: How Structures in South Asia Stigmatizes Women's Reports on Violence and How Concealing Violence Affects Aspects of Their Physiology

Participateed in UC San Diego's Global Seminar in India through the Medical Anthropology and Global Health program

Jennifer Harbeck

Political Science major, Public Policy minor
UCLA

Intern for UCLA’s Campus Assault Resources and Education Program, which provides confidential resources, healing programs, and information on reporting options to survivors of gender-based violence. This office works to advocate and uplift survivors, as well as educate the campus community about upstander intervention practices through workshops and programming.

Producer/host of weekly talk radio show entitled GirlCrush, which works to create a platform to celebrate the identities of female, femme, and queer individuals through music and interviews on UCLARadio.

Hopes to one day use her passion for women’s reproductive health and justice to eventually work in policy to shape the conversation surrounding reproductive rights.

Iris Jovel

Medical student
UCSF

Her current work includes research on access to care and decisional certainty among women seeking abortion information online, as well as aiding in the development of a scale measuring sexual health and reproductive empowerment among young adults

At UCSF, Iris is involved with Latino, LGBT, and Underrepresented in Medicine student groups and has focused on community health at ZSFG Hospital

Personal experiences as a first-generation college/medical student of color and clinical experiences in underserved communities have greatly motivated her interests

Harmeet Kalsi

Sociology major, Writing minor
UC Merced

Lead of Events and outreach at Degree Attainment for Returning and Transfer Students (DART).

Research Intern for the Calfresh Program at UC Merced where she learned challenges and issues related to food insecurity on campus and created a more efficient application process, which will be used and adapted by CSU Chico and eventually the rest of the Calfresh programs throughout the CSU system

Aspires to obtain her Masters and Doctorate degrees and work in higher education to help students achieve academic, professional, and personal success

Elizabeth A. Kavianian

Public Policy with a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies
UC Riverside

Actively involved with campus groups to create a healthy, inclusive and positive environment for all gender identities. Working under a reproductive justice framework to advocate for services and opportunities that can directly benefit student success and student life.

Interested in receiving my master’s in public health first, then working in a clinical setting as a Physician Assistant with a focus on women's health and eliminating any health disparities patients face.

Jolene Kokroko

Interested in improving child health by focusing on maternal health. Specifically, I am interested in improving mental health and substance use during pregnancy

In medical school, I am part of the Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved, which focuses on training doctors to serve and partner with people who live in urban and under-resourced settings to improve access to healthcare and health

Currently looking at an if there is an association between in-utero pesticide exposure and child IQ at age 7 for my MCH MPH capstone project

Darryl Laforteza

Anthropology major
UC Riverside

Hopes to go to medical school

Darryl’s work at hospitals, with UNICEF, and with Global Brigades, among other organizations, fuels her passion for global health and she is excited to share this passion with others

In her spare time, Darryl creates comics to empower girls to believe in their own capabilities

As a first-generation immigrant and a woman of color, she couldn’t be prouder to be the voice of women in the underserved communities her campus serves

Amanda Miller

Public Health PhD Student (Global Health track)
Joint Doctoral Program: UC San Diego and San Diego State University

Amanda is involved in Triton’s for Gender Equity (a student-led club at UCSD) and is a predoctoral fellow with the UCSD Center on Gender Equity and Health.

She is interested in how women’s experiences of partner violence and alcohol use impact engagement and retention in HIV care and treatment in Uganda.

She is passionate about promoting gender equity and improving health outcomes for women and girls; after graduation, she hopes her own research can further these causes.

Daisy Orellana

Feminist Studies and Community Studies major
UC Santa Cruz

After graduating, Daisy hopes to study Public Health and Medical Sociology

This summer, through the Reproductive Rights and Activist Service Corps, Daisy interned at ACCESS Women’s Health Justice. There, she operated their health hotline to connect people across California to reproductive health services

Daisy recently studied abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico through UC Davis Abroad’s Latino/a Health Internship Program. The highlight of her time in Oaxaca was learning from parteras who attended women in the coastal region

Alexandra Ornelas

Doctoral student, Sociology
UC Santa Barbara

Research focuses on how sexual violence affects marginalized communities and the resistance movements led by these communities and allies

Teaching and research interests in social movements, violence against women, intersectionality, qualitative methods, and Latina/o sociology

Dissertation examines activism against sexual violence on University of California campuses

Ally Power

Previous professional experience includes Program Coordinator in the UCSF Center for Reproductive Sciences, Secretariat for the FIGO Working Group on Reproductive and Developmental Environmental Health, and National Program Fellow at Peer Health Exchange

California-certified Crisis Line Counselor, previously supporting La Casa de Las Madres in the Bay Area

Soraya Raji

Molecular and Cell Biology major
UC Merced

First year student at University of California, Merced

Member of the American Association of Cancer Research

Conducted Molecular Biology of Cancer Research and studied Medical and Translational Bioinformatics with the Rosetta Institute of Biomedical Research

Planning to volunteer summer 2019 at CHU IBen Rochd and CHU Iben Sina, two recently established hospitals in home country, Morocco

Maya Richardson

Global Studies major; Global Health and History minor
UC Los Angeles

Maya has lived overseas for most of her life, and currently resides in Geneva, Switzerland

Maya is a coordinator for the Youth Empowerment Program at UCLA, and is a member of Colleges Against Cancer and the Global Development Lab

She is looking forward to collaborating with the Women’s Health Gender Center of Expertise Program, and hopes to learn from the UC Global Health Institute and other student ambassadors to help maximize everything the program has to offer

Sharada Saraf

Human Biology major, Global Health minor
UC San Diego

Works with student writers and faculty researchers to make science more accessible as a core staff member of Saltman Quarterly, UC San Diego’s undergraduate biology research journal

Researches genetic, environmental, and epidemiological factors behind outbreaks of highly pathogenic viruses such as Zika at the Scripps Research Institute

Mentors potential first generation college students interested in the health sciences through involvement in community organizations, free summer camps, and high school mentorship programs

Rupali Sharma

Business major
UC Riverside

As a feminist, Rupali looks forward to promoting equality and knowledge about how we can work together to reduce gender disparity, through her work as a Student Ambassador

Some of her hobbies include dancing and playing tennis, both of which she has been doing since the age of 10, as well as doing community service.

Want to help create more effective prevention measures for domestic and sexual violence across campuses across the country

Laura Tanner

Doctoral Candidate in Department of Feminist Studies
UC Santa Barbara

Laura is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Feminist Studies at UC Santa Barbara. She received her bachelors in Women Studies from Oregon State University, and her Masters in Feminist Studies at UCSB.

Her research interests include women's health and reproductive justice, socioeconomic class and the experience of poverty in the United States, and motherhood. She is currently working on her dissertation, which examines women's self-determination in pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum.

Laura lives in Santa Barbara with her three children aged 16-23.

Georgina Torres

Sociology and Demography major
UC Berkeley

I have always expressed a deep interest in public health issues, particularly social determinants of health and barriers in accessing medical care.

I understand from my experience growing up in an underserved community, the barriers and hardships one faces when trying to access quality healthcare.

My passion for health equity and social justice has motivated me to pursue a career in Public Health and do work that will help marginalized populations access the care they need.

Roxanna Villalobos

Aims to conduct community-engaged research in the Central Valley of California through a feminist lens

Exploring how women of color activists and leaders working in community-based organizations in the Central Valley navigate their feminist/gendered-based politics in the grassroots campaigns they are involved in or leading

Strives to learn about how feminist activism and/or feminist consciousness takes shape in the poor rural farming communities of the Central Valley of California

Faculty Ambassadors

Faculty Ambassadors serve as a liaison between the WGHE COE leadership and the faculty members on each UC campus. They offer mentorship to Student Ambassadors and provide oversight to their activities on each campus, host and participate in regular meetings with Student Ambassadors on campus and tele-meetings with other COE Faculty Ambassadors, lead and raise awareness about WHGE-related events, participate in or lead educational opportunities on WHGE topics and disseminate information related to the COE to the larger academic community.

Ann M. Cheney, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health, Center for Healthy Communities
University of California, Riverside

Research field sites include Italy, the United States, and Mexico

Uses community-engaged research approaches to conduct mental health and substance use services research

Holds expertise in qualitative research and mixed-methods study design

Michele Bratcher Goodwin

Elected member of the American Law Institute and an American Bar Foundation Fellow

Author of several highly acclaimed books, including, Policing The Womb, which chronicles how women’s reproduction has become the political scapegoat in Congress and legislatures across the U.S., resulting in the rise of personhood measures, practices that force women to undergo cesarean births under threat of court order, abuse of prosecutorial discretion that results in the criminalization and punishment of pregnant women for falling down steps, refusing bed rest or attempting suicide, and policies that dramatically erode reproductive liberty

Lectures world-wide on issues involving constitutional law, human rights, reproductive justice, bioethics, and health law. She served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Chicago and as a Visiting Scholar at the University of California-Berkeley and Columbia University Law School

Shelly Grabe, PhD

Associate Professor, Psychology
University of California, Santa Cruz

Social movements, activism, justice, women’s human rights

Women’s resistance/activism/empowerment in Nicaragua and Tanzania

Transnational intersectionality/decolonial feminism/neoliberalism

Rana M. Jaleel, MFA, JD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Gender, Sexuality, & Women's Studies
UC Davis

Holds a PhD in American Studies from New York University, a JD from the Yale Law School, and an MFA from the University of Michigan

Jessica Draughon Moret, PhD, RN

Research focuses on structural and independent factors contributing to women’s health disparities

Leverages mobile technologies to improve women’s access to and participation in research studies. She also co-developed the mobile application “bMOREsafe” which provides information on how to access resources following abuse or assault through a trauma informed care framework

Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior from UC Davis in 2004. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2006; went on to receive both a Master of Science in Nursing in 2008 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 2013, all from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Prior to joining the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, she was a postdoctoral scholar at the UCSF School of Nursing from 2013 to 2015

Laury Oaks

Joint PhD in Anthropology and Population Dynamics
Johns Hopkins University
Professor and Chair, Department of Feminist Studies
UC Santa Barbara

Reproductive politics and reproductive justice

Health-related social movements

Women’s health and well-being

A. Susana Ramírez, PhD, MPH

Assistant Professor of Public Health Communication
University of California, Merced

Research at the intersection of communication science, public health, and Latino health

Expert in mixed methods to understand the multiple levels of communication influence on health behaviors and to reduce health disparities among Latino populations across the acculturation spectrum

Examines the feasibility of using mobile phones for tailored behavior change communications, understanding communication barriers to health decision-making, developing and evaluating a multilevel communication strategy to create a culture of health, and community-based participatory research to prevent obesity in rural Latino families

Chikako Takeshita, PhD, MS, MBA

Author of The Global Biopolitics of the IUD: How Science Constructs Contraceptive Users and Women's Bodies (MIT Press, 2012)

Her work demonstrates that various social interests, including the desire to restrict global population growth, the threat of medical malpractice litigations, anti-abortion politics, and women's aspiration for better reproductive control have all played a significant role in directing scientific research on the device

Her current research project Surgical Birth examines cesarean section as a controversial technology that has been the focus of debate in obstetrics, public health, and women's health advocacy as well as among mothers who are subjected to the procedure